Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

On many days, the city of Sidon in Lebanon receives only six hours worth of power each day, and because that power has to be distributed among the city’s residents, some households only see about two hours of power per day.

Last week, city residents blocked the streets of Sidon to protest the power outages, which are largely due to outages at certain power plants and maintenance work at other plants. Fees for private generators have increased to between LL120,000 and LL130,000 per month, or from about $79 to $86 per month when converted.

For many residents, this means bringing back technology from the days before electricity; students are studying for exams using diesel-fueled lamps, and residents are buying large blocks of ice to keep their food cold.

Alain Tabourian, Lebanon’s Minister of Electricity and Water, says that Lebanon’s power needs are annually increasing by six percent. “Some of the plants were built over 40 years ago. Two of our plants run on heavy fuel, one on diesel and a fourth which used to be operated on diesel is now partly functioning on gas, starting at the end of August,” Tabourian told Executive Magazine.

Tabourian also says that 60 percent of Lebanon’s electricity is produced by diesel turbines, and oil prices as high as $147 per barrel have caused major budget deficits for the Lebanese government.

Unrest from neighboring Syria is also causing political problems for the Lebanese government. Eleven Lebanese men were kidnapped in the Syrian city of Aleppo last month. The kidnapping of these men – all Shiite Muslims –caused neighborhoods in Lebanon to erupt in protest.

Protesters sealed off roads with burning tires until the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah, appealed for calm.

Even in neighborhoods untouched by political unrest, the power shortages have angered many citizens. Elderly resident Umm Ahmad was interviewed while waiting on her neighbor to bring her a large block of ice. “Shame on our government,” she said, “which has left us living in the dark ages.”

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